Chapter Twenty
Simon
I was on cloud nine as I drove back to the house. I’d imagined being with Megan for the past few months but it hadn’t even come close to the reality. She and I had spent time together one-on-one here and there and we’d even had that moment back at the station, but getting her to myself for as long as I had only confirmed that I was in love with her.
I pulled up in front of the house and parked in my usual spot along the curb. Alex’s car was in the driveway and the door was unlocked when I got to the top of the porch. He was sitting on the couch in the living room with an Xbox controller in his lap as Kendra stood on the cushion next to him, either cheering him on or heckling him. Hudson had the other controller and his tongue was peeking out past his lips as he concentrated on the screen. My little brother made me nuts but he really was a good father.
“Stayed out all night, huh?” Alex asked as his eyes darted to me before looking back at the screen.
I nodded my head as I crossed the living room and leaned in the doorway to the kitchen. “Yeah. Everything okay here?”
“If Hudson would stop beating me things would be awesome.” He let out a groan as he dropped the controller to his lap. “I grew up with Mortal Kombat. I should be a legend, right?”
I laughed and shook my head. “I hate to break it to you, little brother, but you’ve always been terrible at that game.”
Alex handed the controller to Kendra before looking at Hudson. “Play with your sister.”
Hudson whined but Kendra cheered and I couldn’t help but chuckle again. Alex stood and followed me into the kitchen. I grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and filled it up with water before turning to look at my brother. He looked like he wanted to ask me where I’d been but he remained silent. It wasn’t the first time I hadn’t come home at night but it’d been awhile.
“How do you feel?” Alex asked as I took a long drink of the cool water. I nodded as I swallowed.
“Better. That shit was terrible. It knocked me on my ass so hard. I really feel bad that Ken had to go through it.” I paused and looked my brother up and down once. He looked tired. “How are you?”
He shrugged and brought his hands up to run them through his hair. “It sucks. I’d gotten used to having her around, especially on the weekends.”
I nodded my head slightly but didn’t say anything. Alex gave me a small smile and shrugged.
“I thought I was falling for her but I realize now that I wasn’t. She was just so good to me and the kids. It was nice.” He reached into the fridge behind me and grabbed a can of soda. “Plus, she was excellent in bed. I definitely miss that.” He nudged me before heading into the living room and immediately breaking up a fight between the kids.
I put my glass on the counter with more force than necessary and blew out a frustrated breath. I hated the fact that my brother and the woman I loved had had sex. There was nothing I could do about it but I still hated it and being reminded of that fact sucked.
I headed downstairs and took my antibiotic before jumping in the shower. I still had a few hours before I had to be at work so I fell into my bed to try to get some more sleep. I didn’t feel bad anymore but I still felt rundown and I didn’t want to go to work running on fumes. I buried my face in the pillow and thought about Megan as I fell asleep.
I walked into the station house that day and immediately checked my turnout gear to make sure it was in working order. Members of the 23rd company filtered out, all tired as their shift ended, and some stopped to say goodbye as they did. After I had checked off on my gear, I went upstairs and greeted my co-workers as I saw them.
“Are you sure you’re not contagious anymore?” Williams asked as I threw my backpack up onto the top bunk.
I nodded and swapped out my shirt for one with the NHFD logo. “Positive. I feel a lot better, too.” I grinned and winked at him. “Want to make out now?”
He just laughed and rolled his eyes as he dropped his own stuff on his bunk. The captain’s voice came over the PA, telling us to gather up, so I followed Williams out of the snooze room and down into the garage.
“Afternoon, assholes. Listen up for your assignments. Owens, Barthe, Jones, Hughes, Christos on Engine Company. Jones will lead for the shift. Everyone else with me on Ladder Company. Barthe, laundry. Christos, heads.” Christos grumbled something about hating the bathroom assignments. “Dickerson, kitchen clean-up.” He assigned Hughes and Jones duties before calling my name. “Owens, chow.”
I grinned and crossed my arms over my chest. “Hope you douches are in the mood for spaghetti.”
Everyone groaned and I just laughed. I was a shitty chef and they really hated when the cooking fell on me.
“Yeah, yeah. We know Owens’ food sucks but it’s his turn and he’s not contagious anymore. Get over it.” The Captain assigned Simpson, Trujillo and Williams their duties before he looked at his clipboard and shook his head. “Engine Company has the wing festival tomorrow morning at 1100 hours so bring your happy fucking faces. That’s it. Go get your shit done.”
Engine Company loaded up in the truck a few minutes later and Barthe drove us to the grocery store. I text Megan on the way there, asking her for advice on making something edible for dinner. We’d just hopped out of the truck when my phone rang.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said quietly as a few of us walked to the front door of the grocery store while the others stayed in the truck.
“Hi.” Her voice was soft and I could tell she was smiling. “I have an idea for something easy you can make but I’m driving the dog to get his nails cut. Can you talk for a second?”
I grabbed a cart from the corral and nodded as I headed towards the bakery department. “Yeah, of course.”
She rambled off ingredients for me to get and laughed when I’d try to guess what she was having me make. The things she had me get were fairly basic but I had confidence that it would end up being a good meal. By the time we wheeled up to the registers, my cheeks hurt from smiling.
“I’m at the groomer so I need to go, but I’ll text you cooking instructions, okay?”
“Thanks, Megs. You’re amazing.” I gestured for Barthe to put the shit up on the conveyer belt and he rolled his eyes at me as he did.
“You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you later.”
I stuffed the phone in my pocket and couldn’t have forced myself to stop smiling if I’d wanted to.
“That chick has you wrapped around her finger,” Barthe said as he shook his head. Christos laughed behind me and dropped a few other things onto the belt.
“If it’s the one who came to visit a couple of weeks ago, I don’t blame him.”
I grabbed the box of Twinkies and the three bags of Cheetos off the belt and shoved them into Christos’ hands. “I’m not spending my chow budget on that shit. And shut the fuck up, both of you. She’s the only reason you’re not eating spaghetti.”
I handed the cashier the department credit card and ignored her attempts to flirt subtlety. The women at the grocery store loved when we’d stop by and normally I’d engage in the game, but I couldn’t see anyone outside of my Megan-high.
We drove back to the station house and I read over the directions Megan had sent. The meal was simple, almost too simple, but anything she made was generally delicious so I decided to go with it.
I helped others with their chores before running a couple of miles on the treadmill. When I was done, I went into the kitchen and started browning the hamburger. There were only ten of us in my company, including the captain, but we always had to cook for an army when we were on chow duty.
I followed Megan’s instructions and added different ingredients like tomato soup, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and a few other things before letting it simmer with some herbs. I baked a ton of French fries and tater tots in the oven and I grabbed the phone off the wall when they were done.
“Chow time,” I said, my voice blaring over the PA. Jones stared at me skeptically from where she’d been watching.
“It smells good but I’m afraid.”
I watched as everyone dished up their plates and sat around the big table with their waters. I dished up last, putting the meat mixture on two buns before grabbing handful of fries.
No one ate until everybody was at the table, Captain’s rules, so everyone waited for me to take my seat before picking up their Sloppy Joes. There was a moment of silence before Williams spoke.
“Damn. These are delicious.”
Everyone murmured their agreement and I sank my teeth into my own. They were definitely the best thing I’d ever cooked myself and I went back for a second helping ten minutes later. Everyone gave me praise that seemed to surprise them, too, and I mentally set a reminder to thank Megan properly.
I helped Dickerson clean up the kitchen and we put away whatever leftovers there were. I’d made enough to eat them for lunch the next day so we wouldn’t be rushed when we came back from the street festival.
I walked back to the snooze room with the intention of calling Megan but the alarm sounded over the PA and the blue lights above me flashed, letting us know that we had a medical emergency call. By the time we got back, it was too late to call her so I just sent her a goodnight text so she knew she was on my mind. I dropped onto my bunk and shut my eyes.
We had a car accident to respond to in the middle of the night otherwise it was fairly quiet and I got a good amount of sleep. I got up early and scrambled a bunch of eggs while shoving a ton of bread into the toaster. After breakfast, we showered and got ready for the festival.
Engine Company wore our navy blue shirts that matched our pants and I pulled a cap over my head. As we drove to the park it was being held at, I looked at my phone and smiled when I saw I had a message from Megan telling me to have a good day. I was amazed at how something so simple could lift my day in such a huge way.
Barthe maneuvered us to where an ambulance was already parked and we hopped out to shake the hands of paramedics from the station house across town. They already had their rig set up for tours and we did the same with ours.
Even though we were parked in a shady area, it was a hot and sweat trickled down my back as I people watched. The festival revolved around a chicken wing cook-off and almost everyone could be seen with plates of wings in their hands.
As I leaned up against the rig, the crackling from the radio pinned to my shoulder could be heard before the female dispatcher spoke. “Structure fire at 4320 Quincy Way. Company 18, can you respond?”
“Copy that, company 18 Engine Company en route from stationhouse one,” someone else responded followed by a second voice also saying, “Company 18 Ladder Company also en route from station one.” I listened to see if they needed anyone else but the radio went silent. Company 18 was assigned to Station One in New Hope and we knew them well from being baseball teammates since we worked the same shifts.
A lot of women wearing bikini tops and short shorts stopped by to flirt under the guise of asking stupid questions regarding fighting fires, including the stereotypical ‘Can you handle that big hose?’. Most of the guys engaged them, taking the bait the badge-bunnies were giving dropping and Jones and I focused on the kids that came by. We showed them how different equipment worked, let them play with the horn and siren, and gave them all plastic red fire hats and gold sticker badges.
“Do you think you could show me how to work your hose, big guy?”
Jones rolled her eyes and frowned as she looked over my shoulder. I turned towards the sultry voice with my eyebrows pinched together and saw Kelly standing there with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a hot pink tank top that showed a good amount of stomach with a pair of tiny denim shorts and her hair was up in a messy ponytail.
“Hey, Kel.” I gave her a quick hug before pulling back to smile at her. “What are you doing here? A wing-fest isn’t a really good place for a vegetarian.”
“Yeah, well, you know my sister. She eats like crap.”
I looked over her shoulder and scoured the area. “Megan’s here?”
“Yes,” Kelly said with a laugh. “At least try to play it cool, Owens. She’s getting some wings. I told her I’d meet her by the ambulance since the smell of those wings makes my stomach hurt. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you, too. She’s been walking around with a very serene and stupid smile since you left yesterday.”
That knowledge made me puff out my chest a little in pride, an action that Jones caught. She rolled her eyes again and I just grinned. “This is Tori Jones. Jones, this is my friend, Kelly.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kelly said and Jones nodded as she returned the sentiment.
I kept my eye on where Kelly had said that she’d left Megan and when she came into view, my grin widened. She was wearing a tight, purple t-shirt and a pair of black, cotton shorts that were, thankfully, longer than her sister’s. Her hair was also pulled up into a ponytail, but unlike Kelly she was in sneakers instead of sandals. Her eyes swept the area as she looked for her sister, who was waving her arms next to me. When Megan caught sight of us, a smile lit up her face.
She was holding a little dish of wings as she approached and her cheeks were pink as she nibbled on her lip.
“Hey. Now I totally feel like a stalker.”
I chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. “You can stalk me all you want, babe.”
“Hello, ladies,” Christos drawled as he walked up to where I was standing with the girls. “Owens may be a pretty boy but you should talk to the men.” He elbowed me as he flashed us all a grin.
“In that case they should probably try somewhere over there,” Jones joked as she gestured towards the festival. She socked Christos in the shoulder lightly before engaging another set of kids that had walked up.
I rolled my eyes at them both and gestured towards Christos. “Megan, Kelly, this is Nick Christos.” Before he could say anything, I laced my fingers through Megan’s and tugged gently until she was at my side so I could wrap my around her shoulders.
Kelly and Christos struck up conversation immediately and Megan turned her head to look up at me. “Want some chicken?”
“It smells really good.” I picked up a small wing and bit into it as I held her eyes. “Hi.”
“How’s work?” she asked so quietly that I could barely hear her. I watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously and I shook my head with a frown. I took the container of wings from her and handed them to Kelly.
“Hold these a sec.” I tugged on Megan’s hand and went to the back door of the rig. I gestured for her to get in and she did without question. I followed behind her and closed the door before raising my brows at her. “You’re nervous around me.”
“A little,” she admitted softly. “I don’t know why. I’ve never been nervous around you before.”
“Don’t be nervous. You know me. We’re just allowed to touch now.”
I turned so our bodies were angled towards each other and dropped my hand to her bare thigh. She leaned in without any hesitation and I met her halfway to capture her lips with my own. My other hand came up to rest on the back of her neck as her tongue touched mine. She tasted like barbeque sauce and whatever I imagined heaven would taste like. Our kiss was slow, passionate, and could have gone on for days if someone hadn’t banged on the door.
“Owens. Your niece and nephew are here.” Christos’ voice was loud and purposeful.
Both of us froze and Megan pulled away with panic in her eyes. “What?”
“Fuck.” I pressed my lips to hers once more before gesturing to the door on the opposite side of her. “You can go out that door. I’ll distract him.” She had just reached for the handle when I spoke again, smiling at her as I fixed the cap she’d knocked off my head. “Megs.” She froze and looked at me questioningly. “I’ll call you after I get off, okay?”
She gave me a small smile and reached for the handle. I did the same on my side and jumped out before closing the door.
“Uncle Simon!” I barely had time for my feet to hit the ground before I was catching Kendra as she propelled herself into my arms.
I smiled and squeezed her to my chest. “Hey, pretty. What are you doing here?” I glanced up and saw my brother and nephew standing a few feet away, talking to Hughes about the baseball glove Hudson had on. I glanced around and my eyes met Christos’. He subtlety gestured to the right and I turned to see Kelly and Megan disappearing into the crowd.
“Daddy brought us so I could get a marionette since Hudson broke mine.” She held up a new, brightly colored puppet for me to see.
“Dang, that’s really pink, Ken. Show me how it works.” I put her down and she demonstrated how to make the puppet move, commanding that my co-workers watch in the process.
“Hey,” Alex said as he walked over and clapped me on the back. “I didn’t know you guys would be out here today.”
I nodded and ruffled Hudson’s hair as he came towards us. “Just a bit longer. What are you guys doing?”
Alex sighed and gestured to the puppet. “I have to drop twenty bucks on that piece of fabric and wood since Hudson though it would be funny to cut the strings on the one she bought last year.” He glanced over his shoulder for a second. “Did you see Kelly?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod as I looked behind us, too, not spotting either girl. “She came over to say hi.”
“She looked pretty good,” Alex said as he looked at me with raised brows. “I wonder how different everything would have been if I’d picked Kelly instead of Megan that night.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond as the radio crackled with the dispatcher’s voice. “Company 21, company 18 is requesting back up at 4320 Quincy Way. Fire has overtaken foliage behind the structure.”
“Roger. Company 21 Ladder Company en route from station three,” the Captain’s voice said over the radio. I watched as Jones grabbed the clip on her shoulder and pressed the switch.
“Company 21 Engine Company en route from East Bay Park.” She let go of the switch and looked at the other guys in our company. “Company 21, load up.”
“Sorry, little brother. I have to go.”
Alex nodded and pat me on the back. I bent low and gave my niece and nephew a quick hug before jumping into my seat in the rig. It was less than a minute later that everyone was in and Barthe had the sirens going as we pulled out of the park.
I looked to my right at Christos and pulled my headset off as I leaned in. “I owe you one.”
“You do,” he said with a nod. “I want the scoop. Kelly just went crazy and said ‘He can’t see them together.’”
“I’ll tell you when we get back to the house. It’s a long story.”
Christos grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “You can repay me by getting me Kelly’s number. She took off before I could ask for it.”
“Deal,” I replied with a grin.